Interlocking device for valves.



No. 772,088. PATENTED OCT. 11, 1904. W. P. COLE.

INTERLOOKING DEVICE FOR VALVES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. COLE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO PLUNGER ELEVATOR COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

INTERLOCKING DEVICE FOR VALVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1\ To. 772,088, dated October 11, 1904.

Application filed May 14, 190 1.

To all whom, it may concern..-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. COLE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Interlocking Devices for Valves, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of valves which are operated by means of a secondary or pilot valve; and its object is to provide a simple and effective device which will lock the pilot-valve, so that although it can be made to bring the main valve back to its central position it cannot be put-in position to reverse the main valve until the latter has first been brought back to its central position.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 represents in side elevation a main valve and a secondary or pilot valve with their connecting mechanisms and with my invention attached.- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same arrangement. Figs. 3 and 4 show certain parts of the apparatus in different positions.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in all of the figures.

1O designates a main valve.

20 designates a secondary or pilot valve which is adapted upon movement in either direction to move the piston of the main valve 10.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown a main valve with its secondary or pilot valve, such as are commonly used in connection with hydraulic elevators.

3O designates an operating-arm, which carries on it a projecting lug 31. This arm is pivoted at 32. It has an upward extension above the point 32, which carries the pin 33, to which is attached a rod 34, which in turn is connected at 35 to a floating lever 36. This floating lever is pivoted at 37 and connected to' the valve-stem 21 of the pilot-valve 20 by a link 29 and at the other end 39 to a connectingrod 22, the purpose of which will be described later. The outer end of the arm 30 is connected, as shown at 38, to a rope or cable 40. Thisrope or cable passes under a sheave 4:1 and extends upward to the elevator-car or Serial No. 208,021. (No model.)

other desired point for operation. WVhen'ever the operator at such point imparts motion to the rope 40, this motion will be transmitted through the mechanism just described to the pilot-valve 20, so that the latter may be moved in either direction at the will of the operator.

The pilot-valve stem, as already stated, is connected to the floating lever 36 at 37 by the link 29, and the other end of this floating lever is pivoted at 39 to a connecting-rod 22. This connecting-rod extends to the pivot 23 on the upper end of a swinging arm 24. This swinging arm is pivoted at a stationary point 25, and its lower end 26 is connected to the stem of the main valve by means of a connecting-link 11.

It has been shown that whenever the operator moves the rope or cable 40 in either direction he thereby moves the pilot-valve stem. Let us, for example, say that he moves the rope or cable 40 in such direction that the operatingarm 30 will be moved downward. This will cause the pilot-valve stem 21 to be moved to the left. When the pilot-valve stem is thus moved to the left, it is so arranged that it will cause the piston of the main valve to move to the right. The movement of the main-valve piston to the right carries the pivot 39 to the left through the connections comprising the main-valve stem, link 11, swinging arm 24, rotating about the pivot 25, and connecting-rod 22. This motion of the pin 39 toward the left carries the pilot-valve stem 21 back to the right, since the pin 35 now acts as the fulcrum of the floating lever 36. This motion is continued until the pilot-valve is centered, and thus shuts off the motive power of the main valve, when, consequently, further movement of the main-valve stem ceases. On the other hand, if the operator pulls the operating-arm 30 upward the pilot-valve stem will be moved to the rightand the main valve will move to the left until it centers the pilotvalve, and thus shuts it off. When the operator desires to return the main valve to its initial or central position, he pulls the operatingarm back to its horizontal position. This will open the pilot-valve in such direction that it will cause the main valve to return to its initial position, when it will shut ofl the pilot-valve, and thus shut off its own motive power. All this is well known in the art and needs no further description here.

In the present invention I attach to the swinging arm 24 the lugs 27 and 28, respectively, above and to the left and below and to the right of the projecting lug 31 on the operating-arm 30 when the latter is in its central position. These may be made integral with the arm 24 or they may be made as a separate piece which is connected to move with the arm. The lugs 27 and 28 are so arranged that as long as the swinging arm 24 is in its vertical or central position they are entirely clear of the path of travel of the projecting lug 31 on the operating-arm 30, so that the latter is free to be moved up or down at the will of the operator. When, however, the swinging arm 24 has been moved to the right or left, the lug 27 or the lug 28 will be moved into the path of travel of the projecting lug 31, so that it will form an obstruction to the'full movement of the operating-arm 30 in one direction.

The operation of this device is as follows: When the operator causes the operating-arm 30 to move downward, as we have already shown, the pilot-valve stem 21 will be moved to the left,and this in turn will cause the mainvalve stem to be moved to the right, and this will pull the lower part of the swinging arm 24 over to the right, because it is connected to the latter by means of the link 11. These movements of the various connected parts, we have shown, centers the pilot-valve, and thus brings the main-valve stem to rest. The operating-arm 30 and the swinging arm 24 will now be in the position shown in Fig. 4. The lug 27 has been moved to the right, as shown, so that it is directly in the path of travel of the projecting lug 31 on the operating-arm 30. If the operator attempts to reverse the pilot-valve by moving the operating-arm up, he cannot move the latter above its horizontal position, because the projecting lug 31 will strike againstthe lug 27, which is now immediately in the path of the projecting lug 81. If, however, the operator brings the arm 30 to its horizontal position, this will move the pilot-valve into such position that it will cause the main valve to be broughtback to center. This in turn will center the swinging arm 24, and thus remove the lug 27 from the path of the projecting lug 31. Now the operator can raise the operating-arm 30, which will cause the pilot-valve to move the main valve in the opposite direction. By the movement of the various parts as above described the swinging arm will now be pushed over to the left into the position shown in Fig. 3. The lug 28 has thus been moved to the left, so that it will be in the path of travel of the projecting lug 31, so that if the operator attempts to push the operating-arm 30 below its central or horizontal position he cannot do so, as the lugs will meet, as shown in Fig. 3. WVhen this operating-arm 80 is moved to its central or horizontal position, however, the pilot-valve will cause the swinging arm 24 to be brought back to its central or vertical position, and thus the lug 28 will be removed from the path of the projecting lug 31.

From the above description it may be seen that whenever the main valve is in its central position the operator has perfect control of the operating-arm 30 and may move the latter either up or down at will, but that as soon as he has moved it in either direction, and the main valve has consequently been moved from its central position, the operating-arm, although it is free to be moved back to its central position, cannot be moved beyond such central position until the main valve has been brought back to center.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination with a main valve and a pilot-valve with their connecting mechanisms, of an operating-arm carrying a projecting lug, said arm arranged to be moved above and below a central position and to move the pilot-valve, stop pieces or lugs arranged to be moved into the path of travel of the said projecting lug by the movement of the main valve from its central position, whereby the movement of the operating-arm is so limited that it cannot be moved back beyond its central position until the main valve has been brought back to its central position.

2. The combination with a main valve and a pilot-valve with their connecting mechanisms, of an operating-arm carrying a projecting lug, said arm arranged to move the pilot valve, stop pieces orlugs arranged to be moved into the path of travel of said projecting lug by the movement of the main valve, whereby the movement of the operating-arm is limited.

3. In combination with a main valve, and a pilot-valve and their connecting mechanism, an operating member having an engaging lug connected therewith and an opposing piece connected with the main-valve stem and moving therewith having stop-pieces spaced to provide an opening for the passage of the engaging lug when the main valve is in mid-position, and to afford an obstruction to such passage when such valve is out of mid-position.

4. The combination with a pilot-valve, an operating-lever connected therewith provided with a lug on one side, of a main valve, a lever connected therewith arranged at practically right angles to said pilot-valve lever, and provided with two inclined lugs on one face so spaced as to normally permit the lug of the pilot-valve to move between them, but to respectively engage and detain said pilotlever when the main valve is out of central position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification 1n the presence of tWo sub- I0 scribing wltnesses.

WILLIAM F. COLE.

Witnesses:

HARRY G. HAMMARD, FRANK E, HOLMAN. 

